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| Too Late Now Keith!!! |
Wow what a week! Las Vegas brought us a BIG contrast from Lake Powell. Glitz and glamour in a very urban setting as opposed to all of the beautiful countryside we had been reveling in. The best part though was a week our friends. Deb had been “missing peoples” (as Abbie would say) and this was just what she needed.
The main event was THE WEDDING.
I wasn’t sure what a Las Vegas wedding would be like, but Kate and Matt
had planned a beautiful ceremony, blending both Christian and Jewish traditions
and Kate was about the prettiest bride ever.
The first time the two families and friends were together was Friday night
at the Rehearsal Reception. It was an
interesting “dance” to watch as everyone was greeting old friends and family
and “sizing up” the “other side”. By the
end of the evening, I believe everyone had found someone from the “other side”
with which they could carry on a pleasant conversation. The ceremony on Saturday was beautiful. Kate looked exquisite and the Simmons
definitely knew how to party! Matt’s 2
nieces, ages 7 and 8, charmed everyone and danced to their dad’s DJ music until
after midnight. Even Aunt Donna was
coaxed out onto the dance floor twice!!
We were a little disappointed that Diane and Keith never got to show us
their foxtrot, but everyone had a
terrific time and Kate and Matt seemed to be having the best of times!!
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| Sam, Allie, Marsha (Matt's Mom) and flower girl dancing |
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| Deb with Matt's Aunt Susie and Mom at Rehersal Party |
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| Aunt Donna with the Altell Guys |
After the wedding, the next priority for me was to be with friends and
to help celebrate Keith and Diane’s 35th wedding anniversary. Pulling a surprise off on Keith can be
difficult, but we were up to the task!
Dave worked really hard to get the hotel to book Keith’s favorite jazz singer,
Sue Bell, into THELounge and with help from everyone, we pulled off a BIG
surprise for him. You never know if
something that was magical once (at the Sorrento in Seattle) will be as good
the second time, but Sue Bell’s music was just right for all of us to celebrate
and enjoy one more time in a pleasant setting.
Keith was so surprised and delighted he literally had to “hold his head
together” and he danced and reveled in the whole evening. We were delighted to meet Sue’s husband and
family and to see Chris, her pianist.
The bass player she hired in Las Vegas was excellent, though he looked
the “Las Vegas part” with long slicked back hair.
In between these two events, we were able to enjoy being with Keith’s
brothers and sisters and Diane’s sisters, Allie and Sam, and especially the
Browns, Kellys and Kuklentz. As they
were arriving Wednesday and Thursday we realized part of our role was to keep
them up late, so that their bodies would adjust to Pacific Time. LOL
The Las Vegas strip made that easy and we walked to the various casinos
and marveled at the glitz and glamour.
We were never tempted to gamble, there was so much else to do (and spend
money on! LOL) Thursday night, Keith had gotten tickets to the Beatles Cirque
d’ Soleil show and it was amazing. We
all wanted to do a “behind the scenes tour” of the stage and set before it was
over. The music, costumes, sets, and
acrobatics were unbelievable.
Dan planned a tour of Hoover Dam for us on Friday and it helped keep us
out of the wedding party’s hair. The
engineers in the group were in their element and everyone marveled at the size
and scope of the dam. The story of how it
was built was pure Americana. We all
talked about how America needs more projects that that, where we come together
to try and accomplish what at first seems to be impossible.
Monday while the Wassums were doing the expensive helicopter/raft tour
of the Grand Canyon West, Dave and I did it “on the cheap” and drove our little
black truck out to the West Rim. (We had done the airplane tour of the South
Rim a few years ago) It is definitely
awe inspiring! The West Rim has canyon walls closer together so you get a
better sense of how deep the canyon is where on the South Rim you are bowled
over by its vastness. The Skywalk on the
cantilever is not for the faint of heart, but delighted Deb .
Since our visit in ’96, Vegas has certainly “grown up”. The casinos are bigger and more family
oriented, though this time of year, we saw very few children except babies. Bellagio with its Chihulys and dancing fountain, has to be a favorite as
was going up in the “Eiffel Tower” and strolling the streets of “Venice”. Shopping the galleries on Gallery Row where
Chilhulys were for sale was fun, though completely out of our budget!! And after a while the “Disneyfication” of
reality gets a little wearing.
We ended the week by sharing some of Dave’s “green egg” pulled pork and
bridge with the Wassums. Diane and I
won! Thankfully the taxi came to get
them before the guys rebounded.
A few other commentaries on the week:
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When one of you gets a cold, living in 300
square feet, makes it impossible not to share the germs!
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We met an interesting woman from Alberta, Canada
and she was delighted to see us cooking our breakfast outside one morning (a
farewell breakfast for the Kuklentz).
She commented on how she didn’t see anyone outside their RV’s… We
decided that there are folks who travel in their motor homes…. And folks who
camp in their RV’s. Sometimes the
vehicles look the same, but it is the mind set.
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Walking around Las Vegas we decided the
businesses to go into there are florists and lighting design. The business to avoid would be ladies
underwear… very little of it is worn!!
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How much talent does it take to buy a Darth
Vader costume and go out on the strip and have your picture made for tips? How much do you make?
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I finally found a North Dakota license plate… do
I start over?
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Gone are the $2.99 buffets (now they are $30 and
$45!!!) It’s hard to get out of a restaurant for under $100!!
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I’ve watched Ella’s “first steps” video about
1000 times. I really miss the
girls! AND I finished Abbie’s 3rd
book, 3 is a Magic Number. I’m
really proud of it.
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| Hey, How did I get in this panorama twice? |
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